Season 17 2024 – 2025
“One of the 11 small-but-mighty dance companies outside of LA and NYC” by Dance Spirit Magazine, Dissonance Dance Theatre is excited to bring the DC area a diverse theatrical production season.
Nestled in our new Resident Arts partnership at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, DDT brings an international cast of talented dancers to the stage with world premieres from Black choreographers and Black-led dance companies from Washington, DC region, New York, and Philadelphia.
X Marks The Spot Production
On Mar 2nd, 2024, Dissonance Dance Theatre returned to Atlas Performing Arts Center’s INTERSECTIONS Festival. DDT has been a participant in the festival for more than 10 years. The ATLAS PAC Founder Jane Lang was in attendance, as they performed in the Lang Theatre.
Kareem B. Goodwin
Resident Choreographer
Resident Company Kareem B. Goodwin is back in the studio creating Heartbeat, a new work to several Black pop/soul music artists. Hailing from Philadelphia, Goodwin was recently nominated for his Princess Grace Award in Choreography (NYC).
DDT Repertory Spotlight:
The Happy Hour
Choreographed by Shawn Short, The Happy Hour is a tutu ballet that sheds light on life’s jovial moments of self-expression, play, and friend interaction.
DDT Repertory Spotlight:
Gospel Suite
Gospel artists Richard Smallwood, Walter Hawkins, and Byron Cage’s inspirational music create the soulful sounds in Short’s Gospel Suite – a work dedicated to the strong women that have shaped his life. Gospel Suite is a contemporary pointe work.
World Ballet Day 2023
Happy 10 years World Ballet Day! – Nov 1, 2023 – Dissonance Dance Theatre (Washington, DC) presents a look into the life of DDT dancers as they prepare for their presentation “Up Jump The Boogie”. See the backstage experience and listen to founding director Shawn Short discuss the company style, dancer type, and more.
FilmWorks Presentation
2020 introduced a new decade of technology and expectation in entertainment and communication. DDT’s artistic team has assessed and redesigned its artistic season. Living in a reality that many theaters are moving vigorously to sustain their internal programming with limited rental capacity, Dissonance Dance Theatre – through its new FilmWorks program – has integrated film production into its theatrical offerings; moving from a five-show theatrical season to several film productions and 1-2 presented live performances.
Mute: Dance Silenced By COVID (2021) is an award-winning short documentary of six US dancers and their experiences within the initial months of COVID. A “light on the other end of the tunnel” story, Mute: Dance Silenced By COVID also speaks on personal reactions to George Floyd’s murder, artist unemployment, new hopes, and creativity.